THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “If a hospital promises a 100 per cent cure for infertility, you can be sure it is fooling you, for the success rate worldwide is just 20 to 30 per cent,” says a doctor with seven years’ experience in the field, while revealing a trick used by many hospitals to dupe patients.“IVF and ICSI are done in batches. Many compile the batch by including couples with minor problems along with those who really need treatment. For example, in a batch of 10, they will put six couples who can be corrected with minor treatment. So the result will be eight out of 10 which they will advertise directly and indirectly. This is an intelligent fraud,” she adds.Ever since IVF pioneer and Nobel laureate Robert Edwards scripted medical history over three decades ago, the therapy moved from vision to reality when Louise Brown, commonly known as the first test tube baby, was born through a Caesarian section after a full-term pregnancy on July 25, 1978, with the assistance of Edwards and Patric Steptoe. And some 4 million babies have born in this manner worldwide. In its citation, the Nobel Committee said, “His (Edwards) achievements had made it possible to treat infertility, a medical condition afflicting a large proportion of humanity including more than 10 per cent of all couples worldwide.”Going by the current rate of IVF, within a few decades, Kerala will surely eclipse the number of babies born worldwide through the IVF method. A household devoid of the squeals of delight and the unalloyed joy of a kid, would soon turn into a theatre of conflict between the spouses.Further compounding the woes of the childless couple, infertility has been anathemised even by the epics and religions. Hence, remaining ‘issueless’ becomes a ‘real issue’ for couples and for all these sundry reasons, couples would take any drastic step to escape the infertility tag.And there is a virtual media blitz regarding the infertility clinics in the state, with all the prominent vernacular magazines carrying glossy advertisements, highlighting their success story. If one were to drop in on any of them, couples in their mid life with dull faces and faded smiles will greet the visitor.Even though there are no official statistics available, it is evident from the volume and frequency of advertisements that this is one area that shows a considerable growth in the state’s medical sector. Its business potential is such that even multinational players have started to set up shop in the state.“From the third month of marriage any couple is greeted with “viseshamundo” (any good news?) queries by the near and dear. Our middle class is stronger and is slightly different from(those in) other states. This causes the couple unwanted concern and anxiety,” said Dr B Ekbal, an expert and an activist.Experts in the field attribute many reasons to this: “The rate of awareness about infertility is higher in our people compared to those in many other states,” says Dr Saravanan who has been practising in this field for the past 15 years. However, it is not so much the case of awareness as a fear that gnaws at the heart of the Kerala society, that forces people to make a beeline for wonder clinics, even without properly consummating their marital union.“There are no proper data or statistics on these clinics. The social condition and the stigma about the subject make it a closed-door affair. So no one will complain if the treatment goes in vain. They will curse their fate and keep quite. All these provide manure for the mushrooming of unskilled specialists,” said Dr Ekbal, pointing out the reasons behind the success of this sector during the last decade. Perhaps it may well be the Indian mind-set, that still views procreation as the be-all and end-all of marriages, which is indirectly contributing to the kitty of unethical medical practitioners.Tomorrow: Devils Rush in, Angels Dare
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